The Lorelais' First Day at School
by AmySMc
Summary: A little story about Rory's very first day of school.
1. Chapter 1

Lorelai woke to a hushed little voice next her demanding her to wake up, with a soft prod in her side for added assistance. When she didn't open her eyes the voice grew louder and the prod returned a little harder this time. Still ignoring the voice's demands Lorelai rolled away burying her head in the pillow. This only caused the little girls patience to wear thin, so in an effort to succeed in the task at hand she did what she had to do, "Mommy wake up it's the first day of school", she shouted filling the whole room with her excited plea.

Lorelai had never heard her daughter shout so loud, "Rory honey, don't scream like that you'll give mommy a heart attack, and then you'll never get to school on time", Lorelai said her voice still full of sleep.

"I'm sorry mommy but it's my very first day."

"I know."

"And I don't want to be late, I want to make a good impre…im…pression." Rory said stumbling over her words.

"You're excited hon." Lorelai noted taking in her 5 year old daughter's excited flailing arms and broad grin. She had now only just noticed that Rory was already dressed, wearing her favourite jeans with a little pink patch on one of the knees covering a small rip which happened when Rory fell down in the park a few months ago. Lorelai could never forget the look on Rory's face that day. Tears streaked down her puffy pink cheeks when she saw that she had ripped her jeans and grazed her knee. Picking Rory up off of the ground Lorelai couldn't tell whether Rory was more upset about the pain or that she had ripped her jeans. That night Lorelai got to work putting her newly found seamstress skills, which developed out of necessity, to good use and patched up the jeans with a pretty pink piece of material with a yellow daisy on it. When she presented the restored jeans to Rory the little girl's eyes lit up, "Wow, mommy they're pretty."

"They sure are, and one of a kind, a pair of Lorelai Gilmore originals. All the cool people are wearing them." She joked.

Rory's school outfit was completed with one of Lorelai's old t-shirts. It was orange with a 'Chico and the Man' print on the front. Fearing that this was not the most suitable shirt for Rory to wear, as she thought it would either elicit confused shrugs or worse that she would be labelled the weird 70's-Sitcom kid from day one, Lorelai tried to talk her daughter out of the choice of shirt. But Rory was her mother's daughter so naturally she stubbornly declined the suggestion of changing into something else.

"Up please." Rory said whilst pulling back the sheets still covering her mother, "Oh, God Rory you are the alarm clock that doesn't give in." Admitting defeat Lorelai slowly made her way over to the sink to wash her face and begin the day that she had been dreading since she first received the letter confirming Rory's acceptance into Stars Hollow First School. Her baby was growing up, she depressingly thought, today school, tomorrow college and then Rory will no longer need her mommy.

---

"Ok, I'm up, dressed and beautified. Now all I need is to be caffeinated and we can go."

"Yay. So, to the kitchen." Rory replied excitedly.

Making their way out the door Lorelai paused, "Rory, I love you."

"I love you too mommy."

Smiling she locked the potting shed and they headed to the inn's kitchen.

"I wonder what's on the menu today, or maybe we could get Larry to cook something special." Rory asked hopefully. "I want pancakes. Do you think he will make me some?"

"Well daughter of mine, you know what you have to do. Just flash those big blue eyes and wide smile of yours, and he's putty."

Opening the door to the kitchen the girls greet Larry in unison.

"Hey girls, I hear it is someone's big day today." Larry called from his position at the stove.

"Yes, yes it is. I have finally got my all girl band together and we are taking it on the road." Lorelai joked.

"Oh really, well I thought it was Rory's first day of school." He said glancing at Rory. "But you know, I guess I was wrong, I'll just have to throw the special breakfast I made in the trash." He added.

Rory's eyes lit up, "No mommy was just being silly." She said with a giggle. "It is my first day of school, what did you make us?"

"You better go find out, your table is set up in the dinning room."

"Thanks Larry." Rory replied as she ran towards the dinning room, leaving Lorelai behind.

"Larry what will we do without you? I can't believe your leaving us." Lorelai said with sadness in her voice.

"You're only sad because it means you have to try and get another chef wrapped around your little finger."

Gasping Lorelai replied, "Not true, I can't believe you would think that. I consider you my friend and I will miss you as a friend and not because you feed me." Smirking she added, "Ok, maybe a little bit true."

"You'll be fine. I've told Mia that she has to make sure the new chef can cater to every Gilmore girl whim." He joked.

"Well it still won't be the same." She replied.

"Go eat your breakfast, before Rory eats it all."

"Is there coffee?"

"Do you even have to ask?" he replied with a 'well duh' expression on his face. "There is a fresh pot on your table. But please don't give any to Rory. I don't want her caffeine addiction on my conscience."

Lorelai left the kitchen to see what delights Larry had made for them today. In the dinning room she found Rory already filling her face with chocolate chip pancakes. "Whoa. Rory, honey slow down. You'll make yourself sick." She said sitting down and picking up the coffee pot. "We still have plenty of time to get you to school missy."

As she poured herself a mug of coffee Rory asked, "Mom can I have some coffee?"

Lorelai let out a little laugh to herself and replied, "Chocolate chip pancakes and coffee. If there was any doubt that you are my daughter, there defiantly isn't now."

"Please mom." Rory said flashing her big blue eyes to help her cause.

"Wow, those are some serious weapons you got their kid. Use them wisely, because with great power comes great responsibility." She said as she poured a tiny amount of coffee into Rory's mug and then added a good measure of milk, so it was more like coffee flavoured milk than actual coffee. "Now, not a word to Larry about this, Ok?" she whispered to her daughter. "Cause he'll freak."

"My lips are sealed." Rory promised.

"Just like Belinda."

"Who?"

"Nothing. Don't worry." Lorelai said with a wave of her hand.

Once both girls had finished their breakfasts they quickly popped back to the kitchen to thank Larry and say 'goodbye', and then made their way to the front of the inn to see Mia.

The girls spotted Mia at the front desk handing a guest their room key and directing them to follow the bell boy carrying their luggage. Mia spotted the girls and waved them over excitedly. "There are my two favourite girls, have you eaten because I know Rory has a big day ahead of her today."

"Hi Mia, and yes we have eaten. Larry made us chocolate chip pancakes." Lorelai greeted.

"I had coffee just like mommy." Rory interjected.

"Oh, really." Mia said giving Lorelai an accusing stare.

"Fink!" Lorelai scolded Rory and silently gestured to Mia that she only had a small amount.

"You only told me not to tell Larry." Rory replied.

"You must be a big girl now if you're dinking coffee." Mia said as she momentarily disappeared behind the front desk, and when she reappeared she was holding a camera. "I must take a photo of Rory's big day. Now let me see those beautiful smiles."

Rory stood in front of Lorelai, with her mother's hands resting on her shoulders and both flashed brilliant smiles into the camera. "Wonderful, now don't let me keep you any longer, I'm sure Rory is anxious to get to school." Mia said as she put her camera away.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe. This one was up and dressed at the crack of dawn." Lorelai said glancing over to Rory. "That is one thing she did not inherit from me."

"You have a good day and learn lots of wonderful things." Mia said pulling Rory into a hug.

"I will Mia, bye."

"Bye girls."

"Bye" Lorelai said as she opened the front door. Both girls waved back to Mia before closing the door behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a perfect early autumn day outside, the sky was clear blue and the sun felt warm on their faces but there was a slight chill in the air, a threat of the cold surely to come in the next few weeks. The girls walked hand in hand through the centre of Stars Hollow in silence enjoying the last spell of good weather. They walked past the market to their right and spotting the gazebo in the centre of the green, Lorelai romantically wondered how many people had met their true love beneath it. And then she spotted something unusual for Stars Hollow, a shop that had shut down. Williams Hardware store was empty, just the shop furniture remained. Shops hardly ever shut down in Stars Hollow, whether they are selling china unicorns or books, business always seemed to be pretty good. Of course Williams Hardware never saw any of Lorelai's business, because what business would she have in a hardware store. But now that it was gone she was sad she had never stepped a foot inside.

"Mommy," Rory said, shaking Lorelai from her thoughts.

"Yes, hon." Looking down at her daughter she could tell something was troubling her. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think daddy remembered it's my first day of school, because he said he would ring to wish me good luck."

"I'm sure he does hon. I bet he just got really busy with work. How could your dad forget you missy?" Lorelai replied trying to make Rory feel better. The fact was Lorelai didn't know if Christopher remembered his daughters first day of school. When she had phoned to remind him about it, all she had was an interesting, but one sided conversation with his answering machine. "If you want we can ring him tonight and tell him all about your day. Ok!"

"Yer, Ok." Rory said with a small smile.

Rounding the corner they were on the street of Rory's school. Lorelai felt Rory's grip tighten slightly on her hand. As they got closer and closer to the school Lorelai could see that Rory's eyes were fixed on the building, sensing that some of her daughter's previous excitement had turned to nervousness she said, "You are going to do great kid, you just go in there and show them what smart really is."

Rory just smiled weakly at her mother. When they reached the front gates of the school both girls paused and stared at the building in silence. As they stood there other parents and children were making their way inside. Some excited and chatted happily with their parents and others wore the same anxious expression as Rory.

"So. Are you ready?" Lorelai said breaking their silence.

"No."

Pause

"Are you ready?" Lorelai repeated.

"Yes."

"Well lets go," _and let the judgemental stares begin_, Lorelai thought to herself. Over the last five years Lorelai had gotten used to people mistaking her for Rory's older sister or babysitter, she had gotten used to the surprised 'Oh, really's and the 'Wow's with an added hint of disapproval in their voice when she would tell them that she is actually Rory's mother. She could handle it when it was a couple of people on one, but there were going to be at least 15 other parents in that room. _If I can handle the judgement express that is Emily Gilmore, then I can handle these parents_, she thought hopefully.

As they entered the school they saw signs pointing the way to the kindergarten classroom. Reaching the classroom both girls paused again for a brief moment before making their way inside. From what Lorelai could make out most of Rory's classmates where already there with maybe a few extras still to come. Some of the kids were already in the far corner of the room on the play mat either colouring in or building houses with linking logs. There were a few kids at the back of the room still holding on to their parents hands for dear life hoping that they won't be leaving them here.

They had only been in the room a few seconds when a small Asian girl with glasses came running up to Rory, startling both her and Lorelai.

"Hello, I like your shirt. Do you want to share my crayons with me?" The little girl said excitedly holding up the crayons in her hands.

Rory looked at Lorelai with a questioning smile as if asking her permission to go. "Sure, go on hon. You go have fun. I'll stay here at the back if you need me."

"Okay." Rory replied as the two little girls ran over to the play mat. Lorelai suddenly felt a lot more relaxed now that Rory had made a friend already. She watched as they chatted and coloured in their pictures, they looked as if they had known each other forever.


End file.
